Lighter



April 14, 1925. 1,533,643

F. A. GAU GER ET AL LIGHTER Filed April 28, 1922" PMQAMA Frank A-G auqer RnyWJuhnsun Patented Apr. 14, 1925.

UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK A. GAUGER: AND ROY W. JOHNSO'N, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN,ASSIGNORS 'IO MILWAUKEE GAS SPECIALTY COMPANY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A COR- PORATION WISCONSIN.

LIGHTER.-

Application filed April 28, 1922. Serial No. 557,139.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK A. GAUGER and RoY W. JOHNSON, both citizens of the United States, and residents of Milwaukee,

in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Lighters; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in lighters and refers more particularly to. What is commonly termed a flash igniter for gas stoves, and the like, of that type employing a constant burn- 16 ing pilot light. g

In the natural gas and some manufactured gas fields, difficulty is experienced with the present type of lighters, in that when the valve is actuated to supply the additional 20 gas necessary to project the jets of flames on the burners, the gas does not burn directly at the lighter tip but from a point several inches therefrom, as a result of which, when the valve is closed to extinguish-the long jets of flame and maintain the pilot only, the flame is oftentimes entirely extinguished necessitating again lighting the pilot.

With this objection in mind our invention has for ,one' of itsobjects to provide means for preventing the extinction of the constant burning pilot light when the valve is operated to decrease the gas supply to the tip to a degree sufficient only to maintain the pilot light.

Another object of this invention'resides in the provision of an auxiliary jet arranged to surround the tip of the lighter with 'a ball of flame when the valve is opened to project the jets of flames therefrom to insure 40 the burning of the pilot light after the valve has been closed.

A further object of this invention resides in the provision of an improved tip for a ing an improved tip protecting hood or cover and manner of connecting the same whereby a more eflicient and simply constructed igniter is produced.

With the above and other objects in view through pipe 7 which will appear as the description proceeds, our invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described. and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, we have illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of our invention constructed according to the best mode we have so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof,'and in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a lighter embodymg our invention, the hood or cover thereof being in section and thesuppl pipe broken away at its medial portion, an

Figure 2 is an enlarged view, partly in section and partly in elevation, taken through the lighter end proper on the plane of line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 5 designates a valve structure one end 6 of which is designed for connection with a source of gas supply and the other end of which is designed for the reception of a tube or lighter gas supply pipe 7 said valve having an operating member 8 for controlling the. supply of gas to the lighter, now about to be described,

Secured to theend of pipe '7 opposite its connection with valve 5, is'a torch head 9, the inner end 10 of which is squared or 0therwise shaped and provided with two spaced annular grooves 11 and 12 for the reception of the apron or instruck parts 13 and .14, respectively, of upper and lower. covers 15 and 16, respectively, which provide a protection or canopy fora tip 17 formed on the outer end of torch head 9.

As clearly illustrated, cover 15 is formed from a single sheet of material having its rear apron or flange 13 slotted, as at 18, to me I have a snug engagement in channel 11, that ing of the torch head. Cover 16 is also I preferably stamped from a single sheet of material and has its apron slotted, as at 19, for attachment of the cover to the torch maining periphery thereof to accommodate apron 13 of the upper cover. As illustrated in the drawing, the members 15 and 16 are.

preferably provided with inwardly project'- ing flanges, and member 16 is provided with one or more openings 20 in its bottom wall to insure the circulation of air about tip 17.

The axis of the torch head is disposed horizontally and is coincident with the center line of the supply pipe and tip 17 has several flash openings 21 located in a horizontal plane, said openings being at the proper angle 'to'play the jets of flames emitted therefrom on the burners between which the. lighter is mounted.

Experience has demonstrated that formin tip 17 substantially ball shape or spheris calproduces better results than when the sides thereof are merely tapered or straight. The portion 22 of the torch head, rearwardly of the tip, is enlarged and threaded, the shoulder 23 formed by the enla rgement be ing tapered to cooperate with an adjusting member or nut 24 to control the volume of gas admittedto the space between the inner tapered end 24 of said member and the tapered shoulder 23 b a bypass 26.

In the use of a lig ter with natural gas and some manufactured gas, great difficulty has been experienced in maintaining a pilot flame at the tip after the valve has been closed to its point permitting only suflicient gas into pipe 7 to maintain the pilot light, as when the lighter is flashed by opening of valve 5, the gas does not ignite at the very tip, but at a point several inches therefrom as a result of which the flame is extinguished when the valve is closed and consequently the pilot light is not maintained. The auxiliary supply of fuel from bypass 26 surrounds the ball or tip 17 with a flame when the valve is opened and thus insures the maintenance of the pilot against the objection above noted; the area of the bypass is such that the auxiliary supply does not burn except when the valve is fully opened to project the jets of flames from openings 21 and the size of the flame surrounding tip 1.7 is readily regulated by member 24.

Fnom the above, it will be apparent that we provide means for 11151111111" the iuam- .-.tenance of a pilot light when the lighter is employed in connection with that type of gas incapable of i iting directl at the tip 17, but at a polnt several inc es space therefrom and also that the air surrounding the torch head is iuiconfined and influenced only by the disc lock coverings and their attaching portions.

. This applicationv is a continuation as to all common subject matter of our copending apsupply pipe, a torch-head on one end of the pipe, a disc-like protective covering separate from the torch-head and disposed thereover in a substantially horizontal position, and a depending attaching portion integral with the covering and connectable with the supply pipe, the air surrounding the torchhead being unconfined and influenced only by the covering and its attaching portions.

2. In a flash igniter for gas burners, a supply pipe, a torch-head on one end of the pipe, a disc-like protective covering separate from the torch-head and disposed there over in a substantially horizontal position, a depending attaching portion integral with the covering and slip-on means readily con-. nccting said depending portion detachably with the supply pipe, the air surrounding the torch-head being unconfined and influenced only by the covering and its attaching portion.

3. In a flash igniter for gas burners, a supply pipe, atorch-head on one end of the pipe, a protective covering separate from the torch-head and disposed thereover, a depend ing attaching portion carried by the covering and connectable with the supply pipe, a covering carried shoulder, and a supply pipe carried shoulder cooperating with the covering carried shoulder to maintain the covering on the supply pipe and against rotation with respect thereto.

4. In a flash igniter for gas burners, a supply pipe, a torch-head on one end of the pipe, a protective covering separate from the torch head and disposed therefrom, a depending attaching portion carried by the cover and having a recess cooperating with a channel 111 the torch-head to secure the covering thereto, and cooperating shoulders on the covering attaching portion and torchhead to maintain the covering in proper position. 1

5. In a flash igniter for gas burners, a supply pipe, a torch-head on one end of the pipe, upper and lower protective coverings separate from the torch-head and disposed on opposite sides thereof in substantially horizontal position, laterally extending attaching portions carried by the coverings, and means connecting the attaching port-ions with the su l i 6. In a dei icii di lhe character described, a torch-head having a substantially spherical tip provided with jet openings, and means for substantially surroundin the tip with a flame when gas is supphed the torchhead to project jets of flame from the jet openings.

7. In a device of the character described,

- a torch-head having an opening at which a pilot flame is normall maintained, a jctof flame being projected rom the opening upon the supplying of gas to the-torch-head be.

yond a predetermined volume, and means for maintaining a pilot light, independent or,

the torch-head opening, when the jet of flame is projected from. the torch-head opening. we v 8. In adevice of the character describe a torch-head having an opening at which a pilot flame is normally maintained, P jet of flame being projected from the opening upon the supplying of gas to the torch-head beyond a predetermined volume, and means .for surrounding the torch-head opening with a flame when a therefrom. t 1 j I 9. In a device of the character described, a torch-head, a tip carried by the torch-head and provided with jet openings from which jet of flame is projected jets of flame are projected whengas of a predetermined volumeis supplied the torchhead and titg which a pilot light is maintained when a minimum volume ofgas is sup-. plied the torch-head, and means for surrounding the jet openings with a flame when jets of flame are projected therefrom.

\ 10. In a .deviceof thecharacter described,

a torch-head,a tip carried by the torch-head and provided withjet openings from which jets of flame "are projected when gas of a predetermined volume is supplied the torchhead and at which a pilot light is main.- tained when a minimum volume of gas" is supplied the torch-head, and meansfor sur-- ing sufli-cientlvolume of gas to the torch,

head to maintain .apilot light at. the jet openings, means for increasing t e volume of'gas' suppliedmthe torch-head t project flames," from the jet openings, and means adjacent the base of the tip for projecting a flame toward thejet o enings when the increased,- 'volume of gas is supplied the'torchhead.

12. In a device of the character described,

,d "a torch-head,- a tip carried thereby andprovided withjet openings, means for supply- I in suflicient volume of gas to the torchhead to ma.intain',a pilot light at the jet openings, means 'for increasing the volume of gas supplied the torch-head to project flames from the jet openings,.thetorch-head having an auxiliary opening therein adjacent the tip base, and a distributing ring ing toward the jet openings to provide a flame thereadjaoent when the increased volume of ga s is supplied to ltorch=head. 13. In a deviceof the character described, torch-head, a tip carried thereby and profor projecting gas from the auxiliary open- 1 vided withjet openings, means for supplying sufficient volume of gas to the torchhead .to maintain a pilot light at the jet openings, means for lncreasing the volume of gas sup-plied the torch-head to project flames from the jet openings, the torch-head having an auxiliary opening therein ad jacent the tip base, and an adjustable di stributing ring for projecting gas from the auxiliary opening toward the jet openings to provide a flame thereadjacent when the increased volume of gas is supplied the torch head.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our hands at Mi1waukee,.iin the c ounty of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin,

FRANK A. GAUGE'BQI ROY W. JOHNSON. I 

